Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

These Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette might just win the Holidays. In fact, I’ll bet people will be fighting over them at the dinner table! Come to think of it, you should probably quadruple the recipe. Thank me later.

The secret lies in a fool-proof, quick-and-easy cooking method that takes only 10 minutes! Let’s just say you will never, ever want to cook Brussels sprouts any other way again.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fair share of underwhelming Brussels sprouts. They’re either over-cooked, undercooked, too soggy or too dry. Every so often I’d make a really delicious batch but even then there would be the odd sprout that just didn’t cook as well as the others.

So when I came across a new method that promised perfect results with minimal effort, I had to try it for myself. It was on a long drive home from work one day and I was listening to the Splendid Table podcast. Side note: excellent podcast that you should listen to if you love food, cooking or listening to people who know way more than you about both topics!

On Episode 618: Touring Harlem, Dan Souza from America’s Test Kitchen reveals the secret to perfectly caramelized yet juicy Brussels sprouts. To paraphrase, the Brussels sprouts are cut in half and placed cut-side down in a cold skillet with a generous amount of oil. The skillet is then covered with a lid and placed over medium-high heat. As the heat gradually rises, the cut-sides of the Brussels sprouts start to caramelize while releasing moisture that simultaneously steams them. After only 5 minutes, a crust develops and the lid is removed to further caramelize the sprouts. After another 4-5 minutes they’re perfectly cooked.

No blanching, no flipping halfway, no additional steps required. It truly is a thing of beauty!

The technique is similar to the one often used to make Gyoza (Japanese dumplings) or pot stickers, where the bottom of the dumpling gets crispy as the top steams. It makes me think of what else can be cooked this way! My guess is other brassica, such as cauliflower, broccoli or cabbage, would work equally well. Don’t be surprised if you see such recipes from me in the future!

In terms of seasonings, the original recipe suggests finishing off the sprouts with a sprinkle of freshly-grated Pecorino Romano and squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I won’t lie, that’s a winning combination for just about anything! Though I do occasionally indulge, I try to avoid dairy since it triggers my asthma.

Instead, I tossed the perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts in my Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette. It’s sweet, tangy, garlicky and holds up perfectly against the bitterness of the sprouts. I strongly recommend tossing the Brussels sprouts in the vinaigrette while they’re still hot. The residual heat will gently cook the garlic, mellow out its raw flavour and create the most incredible aroma!

The vinaigrette is the same one I use to dress charred dandelion greens and goes great on just about anything.

Because the vinaigrette has a tiny splash of maple syrup, it is not Whole30. However, maple syrup is a natural sweetener and considered Paleo-friendly. You could also substitute honey or agave syrup if you don’t have any maple syrup.

Then again, these Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts are so damn good you could just as easily skip the vinaigrette altogether, season them with a bit of Maldon sea salt and call it a day. They’re addictive!

These Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts take 10 minutes and are cooked in a single skillet. Try tossing them in my Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brussels Sprouts, paleo

Ingredients

for the Brussels Sprouts

1lbsraw Brussels sprouts - not from frozen

4-5tbspExtra Virgin olive oil(EVOO)

for the Vinaigrette

1clovegarlic - finely grated or minced

2tbspwhole-grain mustard - such as Moutarde de Meaux

1tbsp100% natural, organic maple syrup

1tbspfresh lemon juice

3tbspExtra Virgin Olive Oil

kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper - to taste

Instructions

for the Vinaigrette

To a mason jar, add garlic, mustard, maple syrup, EVOO and lemon juice. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Top with lid and shake vigorously until emulsified. Taste for seasoning and adjust as required. Set aside.

You can use any heavy-bottomed stainless-steel or cast-iron skillet. Just be sure to gauge the heat on your stove, since they’re all a bit different. You can definitely do the prep work ahead of time (cut the sprouts and make the vinaigrette). If preparing the sprouts ahead of time, reheat in the oven and then toss in the sauce before serving.

So what happened was…I made the Brussels, but I think I need to turn up the heat a bit, it took about 10 minutes to get them soft enough, but they were pretty delicious. I’m gonna try again, and put the heat up a bit. I’ll let you know.

Hi! I’m a big fan of your recipes and videos! I had some trouble with this recipe: I followed the recipe exactly, but the sprouts were not cooked after 5 minutes covered in the cast iron pan (med heat), then 5 more minutes without the lid. both batches were still raw and crunchy with a verrrrry dark sear. I’m afraid if I cook any longer, they’ll burn. Any advice?

Hard to troubleshoot since this depends a great deal upon the strength and efficiency of yours stovetop. However, if I was to guess, I’d say that you may not have enough oil in the pan. It’s important that each sprout is sitting in a bit of oil to properly caramelize, rather than burn. I hope you have better luck on the next batch! Don’t give up! It’s worth the effort!

Very good and soooo easy to make! I used my cast iron and next till I’ll be turning the temp down lower than suggested, some got extra toasty but still tasted amazing. The sauce is easy peasy, my husband text me while eating these for lunch and said the dressing was delicious and he can’t wait till I make it again!